8. A person who finds his lost belongings beside someone else’s belongings may not leave the latter there and concern himself only with his own lost property. If, for some reason, he cannot return both items at once, he should first retrieve what belongs to him.
Nevertheless, in such matters a person should try to go beyond what the law requires and should not tell himself, “I will take care of myself first…,” unless there is clear and serious damage to another Jew’s property.
If, however, one always acts strictly according to the letter of the law, it will turn out that there is never an opportunity to fulfill the mitzvah of helping others, and ultimately (measure for measure) one will oneself come to need help.
**** Rabbi Shmuel Finkel (the son of the renowned sage, the Alter of Slabodka) traveled to Warsaw to invest his money in a profitable venture. He bought several railcars of flour and other foodstuffs. Immediately afterward, the First World War broke out, and food prices soared sky-high. Rabbi Finkel had two options: sell at the new prices and get rich quickly, or devote himself to helping the poor. In the end, he decided that he should take advantage of the situation to help other Jews. He sent all the food to yeshivas, which by then had no funds left.
9. It is forbidden to enter someone else’s property without permission, even if no damage is caused. But if a person has already done so (and the owners did not warn him), he is not required to pay a fine. This law is based on the principle: “One benefits while the other loses nothing.” However, this law does not apply to movable property, so it is forbidden to use another person’s belongings without his knowledge.
10. If a person pours water out of his well, leaving others without water (even if he is the sole owner of the water), the beit din may take the necessary measures to make him stop acting like the people of Sodom.